Making spinners

Making spinners

Pencil and paper
Overview
Using this Resource
Connecting to the Curriculum
Marking Student Responses
Further Resources
This task is about doing a probability experiment.
How to do this task
Follow your teacher's instructions and make a spinner.

a) Flick the paper clip around the point of the pencil or compass on the spinner 100 times. Record the colour that the point of the paper clip lands on in the table below.
Colour Tally Total
Blue    
Red    
Yellow    
Green    

b)		  
Use your results from a) to record the probability of each event occurring. Record this in the table below.
Event Probability
Landing on Blue  
Landing on Red  
Landing on Green  
Landing on Yellow  
 
c)		  
Using your results in b) mark the probability (by writing a letter), of the event that the spinner lands on:
  (i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)		 blue (B)
yellow (Y)
blue, red, yellow, or green (X)
pink (P)
Write each letter on the scale below.
 
 
Cut out shape -----------------------------------------------------
coloured-spinner.png
Task administration: 
This task is completed with pencil and paper, and other equipment.
 
Equipment:
Spinner template photocopied onto paper or light card; scissors; pencil or compass; paper clip; coloured pens or felts (red, blue, green, and yellow only).
  • This task assesses students' ability to
    (i) record the results of a probability investigation, and
    (ii) write these results as relative frequencies, and
    (iii) mark the likelihood of events occurring on a scale.
  • Have the students colour in their spinner before carrying out the task.
  • Have students assemble a spinner so they can spin a partially opened out paper clip around the point of a pencil or compass (see diagram below).

Level:
4
Curriculum info: 
Maths, Statistics, Probability
Keywords: 
probability, experiments, practical
Description of task: 
In this practical task, students use a coloured spinner and record the frequency of colours occurring. They then use their findings to record the probability of each event and interpret these.
Curriculum Links: 
This resource can be used to help to identify students' understanding of conducting probability experiments and writing likelihoods as fractions or percentages
Learning Progression Frameworks
This resource can provide evidence of learning associated with
Interpreting statistical and chance situations, sets 4-5
within the Mathematics Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Read more about the Learning Progressions Frameworks.
Answers/responses: 
a)  

Results recorded in correct tally format, i.e., .
Totals completed and sum to 100.
b)   For each colour the probabilities are recorded (accept fractions, e.g., 53/100 , or percentages, e.g., 53%), using results in a).
c)

i) 
ii) 
iii)
iv)

Correctly marks B on the scale at a place consistent with results in b).
Correctly marks Y on the scale at a place consistent with results in b).
Correctly marks X at 'certain' on the scale.
Correctly marks P at 'impossible' on the scale.
 

Spinner Templates